â...The Summit has many objectives. The most important is a reciprocal re-discovery of two regions with historical affinities and a vast but yet unfulfilled potential in the field of bilateral relations.

Looking to the past, the contact points between the two worlds date back to the Arab presence in the Iberian Peninsula. Human ties between both regions have grown more intense over the past century through migration flows toward South America, which have made a valuable contribution to the social and cultural development of an important number of countries in the region. Today there are over 10 million people of Arab descent who live only in Brazil, not to mention the many South American migrants, particularly Brazilians, that have recently gone the opposite way in search of a new life in the Middle East.

Looking to the future, what we aim at is a partnership between two regions that face similar challenges in the struggle for development. The obvious diversity of their national situations, identities and levels of development does not prevent them from sharing common goals and interests. Countries from both regions share a common vision of peace and economic development with social justice, they base their actions on the respect for international law and multilateralism, they fight for an inclusive, tolerant, multipolar world more conducive to development.â

Yes that's right - it's imperative for Brazil to help prop up unelected mass-murdering totalitarian dictators! I'm sure the Syrian-descendended Brazilian population will be supportive of further massacres and repression of their brothers and sisters back in the homeland!

Yes that's right - it's imperative for Brazil to help prop up unelected mass-murdering totalitarian dictators! I'm sure the Syrian-descendended Brazilian population will be supportive of further massacres and repression of their brothers and sisters back in the homeland!

More...

February 2, 2012

SouthAmerica: Reply to Ghost of Cutten

I just received an email from a reader saying that my posting about âBrazil and Syrian/Lebanese connectionâ had been published at the Russian newspaper âPravdaâ.

So has revolution become a product? A commodity? Something that can be branded, packaged and exported all across the globe? And if so, what are the consequences for the US? The business of exporting revolutions and fermenting regime change is a dangerous one... so buyer and seller might want to beware.

SouthAmerica: The United States is becoming like a joke to the rest of the world regarding the hysterical public reaction of Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton after China and Russia vetoed over the weekend a UN Security Council resolution that would have backed another regime change in the Middle East in this case calling for Syria's President to step down.

Here is the reality that the rest of the world is watching and realizing the declining power of the United States and its allies:

Pepe Escobar: US will continue to arm anti-government rebels in Syria after veto â February 6, 2012

Note: Based on their reaction after the vote about the UN Security Council resolution regarding Syria - I would recommend that Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton ask their doctor for a prescription of Valium and Prozac to calm them down, since these women went ballistic.

This just shows you how crazy our world has become. For maybe the first time ever, I am agreeing with South America. For different reasons maybe, but still.

We have no business intervening in middle eastern countries which pose no threat to us or our vital interests. This is particularly true when there is no clear end game, as in Libya, or when it is clear that someone worse than the current dictator will take over, as in Egypt.

Of course, we no wknow that Hillary Clinton's close aide, Mrs. Weiner, is closely connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. This may explain some of Obama's dubious decisions.

Dates are crucial. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud may have pulled off operation "Damascus Volcano" on July 18. He was definitely promoted to head of Saudi intelligence on July 19. And he might have been killed in a bomb attack on the Saudi General Intelligence HQ in Riyadh on July 22.

Thunderous silence prevails on Syrian, Iranian and Arab media (most of it controlled by the Saudis). The same applies for al-Jazeera. This is DEBKA's somewhat fanciful take.

Dates are crucial. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud may have pulled off operation "Damascus Volcano" on July 18. He was definitely promoted to head of Saudi intelligence on July 19. And he might have been killed in a bomb attack on the Saudi General Intelligence HQ in Riyadh on July 22.

One Syrian rumor mill version rules that "Damascus Volcano" came from Saudi intel - with logistics provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This is highly unlikely; the CIA is clueless on how to penetrate Assad's inner sanctum. The predominant version circulating in the Syrian capital is this was a white coup.

"Damascus Volcano", by the way, was a flop; the swarm of mercenaries - infiltrated via Jordan - who were supposed to take over the capital had to retreat up north. Now the news cycle is fixated on another faux game-changer - the "Battle of Aleppo".

There are serious problems with all the spin around "Damascus Volcano". None of the Assad regime's four heads of military intelligence were killed - they are actually running the (ghastly) show in Aleppo.

There are also problems with a Syrian death squad being able to strike Riyadh's inner sanctum. But Iranian intelligence could certainly pull this off. As for Debka's assumption that Tehran may have hired al-Qaeda jihadis for an inside job against the House of Saud, that is rubbish.

The bottom line; no one knows, because no one is talking.

What is certain is that Bandar as head of Saudi intelligence was part of King Abdullah's hardcore response to the Arab Spring.

In Syria, the House of Saud strategy boils down to regime change - and a fragile, fragmented, Sunni government in Damascus not aligned with Tehran.

Internally, the strategy is to viciously smash any peaceful Shi'ite-majority protest in the eastern provinces. Essentially, there's no Arab Spring in Saudi Arabia because the House of Saud either bribes or intimidates its subjects.

The overall strategy of choice is "blame it on Iran"; as this logic goes, Saudi Shi'ites are Iranian puppets as much as Bahraini Shi'ites. The Obama administration blindly subscribes to this fallacy - totally missing the point; the House of Saud hates any semblance of Western parliamentary democracy as much as it hates Shi'ites - Iranian and otherwise.

So what happened in Riyadh? A graphic Tehran message to the House of Saud? A rogue suicide bomber? An internal Saudi war? The House of Saud is not talking. And Bandar is not moving.

Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His most recent book, just out, is Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).

...The Saudi government has declared a black out on the incident. However, the only 'confirmation' of an attack that killed Prince Bandar Bin Sultan was reported by the Tehran Times which quoted a story from the non-profit Paris based Voltaire Network which cited unofficial sources who stated Monday that Prince Bandar had been killed in retaliation for the Damascus bombing which saw President Assad lose key members of his inner circle.